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Jazz 101 as written by TShaka Mayanja

I stumbled upon an article authored by one TShaka Mayanja (Bassist to the Band- BlackRoots Unlimited from Uganda) in the one of Uganda’s Dailies which in a sense validated some of the issues that I raised in a past blog.

The article seeks to answer the following answers:

Is Jazz music for the elite, “wannabe”, show-offs and the rich?

What are the origins of the genre?

What constitutes Jazz music?

How is Jazz marketed in Uganda?


TShaka (Pictured on the Left) kicks off by arguing that the high pricing of the various Jazz Concerts organized tend to attract only those that can afford (who are not necessarily Jazz fans) and there by marginalizing real Jazz fans that would love to attend but cannot afford.


He then gives a short and enlightening history of Jazz.

He defines the genre -Jazz music- or what constitutes Jazz music. He goes further and outlines the various sub-genres that are within the larger Jazz music.

He also argues that a majority of the concerts or shows organized under the guise of Jazz are not - again going back to what I highlighted in a past blog.

He caps it off by urging all concerned that we first define what constitute Jazz music and present or market it as such.

For more on the article: http://www.newvision.co.ug/D/8/20/655851  


Though the article was targeted to the Ugandan audience, does this apply to us too?- Food for thought.
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